Upskill with Dementia Singapore: Be Better Equipped with Dementia-centric Training
If you’re a Community Care professional who is looking to upskill, you can choose from more than 280 courses by Learning Institutes (LIs) appointed by Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) on the Learning Management System (LMS). Among the courses available are those that equip professionals with skills to care for persons with dementia, conducted by Dementia Singapore (formerly known as Alzheimer's Disease Association).
Preparing the workforce to care for persons with dementia
The number of people affected by dementia in Singapore is expected to increase, along with the demand for quality Community Care. Dementia Singapore aims to nurture a dementia-inclusive society by equipping Community Care professionals with the right skills to meet this demand.
Dementia Singapore delivers comprehensive dementia care with innovative methods conducted by industry professionals. Their dementia-specialised courses, which range from basic to advanced levels, are suitable for professionals from various Community Care backgrounds. Dementia Singapore incorporates Dementia Care MappingTM, developed by the University of Bradford, to provide a globally established approach for achieving person-centred care.
Dementia Singapore has also blazed a trail in implementing virtual reality to help learners learn better. The courses offer diverse contexts for learners to apply to real-life standards in caring for persons with dementia.
Here are a few Dementia Singapore courses for Community Care professionals.
Core Module 1 - Person Centred Care (Basic) ($90, 4 hours)
Suitable for: Frontline Care Staff and Volunteers with no prior background in dementia care
What you’ll learn: In this course, learners will learn the fundamentals of dementia care and identify suitable strategies to promote person-centred care in the context of different care environments. They will also be aware of the impact of dementia on caregivers and professionals.
Noel Ng from Asian Women’s Welfare Association shared, “The trainers’ extensive knowledge has provided me a better understanding of condition[s], especially for someone new to the sector.”
Enabling EDIE™ ($120, 4 hours)
Suitable for: Health and Social Care Practitioners and Volunteers providing support to people living with dementia and their caregiver
What you’ll learn: Through the use of virtual reality technology, the immersive experience enables learners to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by a person living with dementia. They will be educated on support needs, and be tasked to create a support plan to enable a person living with dementia.
NTUC Healthcare Staff Yi Yi Win said the course gave her insight into managing her dementia clients better.
Support Persons Living with Dementia (Intermediate) ($1,200, 32 hours)
Suitable for: Professional Staff (including Nurses, Allied Health Professionals, Social Workers, Counsellors) appointed as dementia practitioners in dementia day care services, or involved in developing care plans and guiding direct care staff to provide dementia care
What you’ll learn: This course equips learners with the skills to develop person-centred care plans to minimise the impact of behaviour changes, and support the wellbeing of persons living with dementia and their caregivers. Individuals would undergo three modules, written assessments, a practical performance assessment and an oral test to be awarded a certificate of completion.
Implement Namaste Care ($420, 16 hours)
Suitable for: Allied Health Professionals, Nurses, Programme Coordinators or Executives and Social Workers who intend to implement Namaste Care programme within their care services
What you’ll learn: In this course, learners will learn to apply Namaste Care for persons at the moderate to advanced stages of dementia. Learners will be guided to plan the resources required to start a Namaste Care programme, implement and evaluate the outcomes of Namaste Care.
Dementia Care Mapping™ for Realising Person Centred Care (DCMTM) (Intermediate) ($1,800, 28 hours)
Suitable for: Health and Social Care Practitioners interested in evaluating and transforming the quality of care for persons living with dementia in formal care settings.
What you’ll learn: Learners will be able to use Dementia Care MappingTM as an observational tool to evaluate the wellbeing of persons living with dementia, and the care interactions that impact the person. The skills garnered from this course will deepen the learners’ understanding of Person-Centred Care, enable DCMTM users to develop customised care plans based on the reports, evaluate programmes and services, and provide feedback to enhance the quality of care provided.
Dementia Care Mapping™ for Supporting Living (DCMTM-SL) ($480, 7 hours)
Suitable for: Staff working in supported living contexts (E.g. Home Care or Support, Community-based Teams that provide support for people with dementia and wish to implement and monitor the delivery of person-centred dementia care using DCMTM-SL)
What you’ll learn: Implemented with a supervisory framework, DCMTM-SL will educate learns on the use of Dementia Care MappingTM for persons living with dementia at their homes. Learners will be able to assess and make recommendations to the care of the person with dementia living at home and provide evidence-based feedback to care staff working in the home setting.
Equip yourself with these skills from Dementia Singapore's courses by accessing the LMS portal, and filtering “Dementia Singapore” as the Learning Institute of your choice to find out more.
For other enquiries, please contact Dementia Singapore at 6377 0700 or submit an enquiry at academy@dementia.org.sg.
*Do check out the details for the courses at the AIC’s LMS Marketplace.
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